Gabion diking still divides east from west on Farrell Street

Prince George, BC – Prince George Fire Rescue personnel will be going door-to-door along Farrell Street to advise residents they should be prepared to evacuate their homes tomorrow, as the level of the Fraser River continues to rise…

An evacuation notice issued last weekend for 17 residents on the east side of the street remains in place, and this afternoon, residents on the west side are also being advised to pack their essentials in preparation for tomorrow.  An exact number of residents affected is not yet known.

City of Prince George Communications Manager, Chris Bone, says technical analysts with the City’s Emergency Operations Centre have been evaluating current flow projections and expect the river level to hit 9.604-metres tomorrow.  Flood level is 9.4-metres.

Bone says the City’s Emergency Support Program is on stand-by and will assist with temporary accomodations and shelter, should the evacuation order become necessary.

Long-time South Fort George resident, Mary Reed, lives one block west of Farrell Street on Bird Avenue, she says she’s seen the river rise considerably into Paddlewheel Park over the course of this afternoon.  Reed says the area has been a beehive of activity with city residents driving past for a look at the river, which is forecast to climb to between 10.2m and 10.6m by Tuesday or Wednesday.